AX 2012 - Quick bites (Flash news 9)

AX 2012 - Quick bites ----- Trying to coat bitter-pill (AX 2012) with sweetener (some catchy names) to promote reading

1.       Individual users can set time zone preferences without affecting the central AOS time zone for each company.

2.       The organization model represents a paradigm shift in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, most of the application data was related to the company (DataAreaID) concept, and it was easy to duplicate this data by traversing all tables where the “SaveDataPerCompany” metadata property was set to True.

3.       Because of the changes resulting from the new organization model, the data is not purely related to legal entities, and a company is semantically equivalent to a legal entity. The data is related to one or more types of organizations, or to none (shared tables). Therefore, the duplication of data based on the property is not valid.

4.       As a consequence of the above, duplicating the company account functionality has been removed in AX 2012. 

5.       Although there is no replacement for duplicate company feature, duplication of the company is possible in AX 2012. By using the import and export feature (I mean .dat & .def backup) the users can create duplicate reference, setup, and master data by copying data between two companies. 

6.       You can now create multiple address books instead of creating virtual companies, and you can control access to address books by granting privileges based on teams or legal entities.

7.       In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, you can define any number of address books and assign teams or legal entities to them, so that you can control which workers have access to specific address books.

8.       The Data Crawler has been replaced by the Search feature, which enables searching across data and metadata (forms and reports). Do not search for Data crawler in AX 2012.

9.       Resource capabilities (constraints) can be attached to the resources (previously called as work centers). The resource capabilities is a shared table and can be used across the legal entities.

10.   Employee Master (HCMWorker) – is  shared form across the legal entities. So, you can use worker/employee across the legal entities with ease.

What's new in AX 2012 - Flash news 8: Extensible Data Security (XDS) in AX 2012

Extensible Data Security (XDS) in AX 2012

XDS is a new frame work for data security and can be termed as an alternate to Record Level Security (RLS) and both are available in AX 2012. Record Level Security is going to be removed/deprecated from the next version (2015).

Extensible Data Security(XDS) provides all the functionality that the RLS feature provided, but provides more security controls and major functionality that is missing from the RLS feature. With XDS, the developers can write more powerful queries to restrict the data that users can access. The restrictions are more secure, and they are applied not only to the UI, but also at the server level. The restrictions can be based not only on the fields in the table that users are accessing, but on data in other tables, as well. This becomes increasingly important as the tables become more normalized in each version.

 

Developing an extensible data security policy involves the following steps:

1.       Modelling the query on the primary table. 

2.       Creating the policy.

3.       Adding the constrained tables and views.

4.       Setting the context.

 

Clink the link below to download the white paper on XDS.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh272862.aspx

What's new in AX 2012? Flash news 7, Role-based security - How does this differ from that user group security setting in AX 2009

Role-based security

In AX 2009, the management of application security was a complex and time-consuming process. Administrators had to determine which tables and fields were needed for a task, and then grant permissions to the user for those tables and fields, wide user groups.

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, administrators manage security by defining roles and then assigning users to those roles. Security management is made more intuitive, it is role-based, and it is less time-consuming.

Role-based security What can you do?	Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009	Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012	Why is this important?
Define user groups.	No default user groups were provided.	Default roles have been defined and are available out of the box.	Security management has been simplified.
Set user group permissions.	Administrators had to determine which tables, fields, and menu items were required to complete tasks, and assign those items to user groups.	Default duties and privileges contain the tables, fields, and menu items required to complete tasks. Administrators assign duties and privileges to roles.	Security management has been simplified.
Reuse permissions across companies.	User groups were defined in each company, for each functional role.	After a role is defined, it can be used across multiple companies and organizations.	Security management has been simplified.
Filter columns that a user has access to.	Administrators determined which fields to restrict.	Only the appropriate columns are included in default duties and privileges.	Security management has been simplified, and security is improved.
Define permission levels (read only, create, update, and delete).	Security keys were used to define permission levels for user groups.	Separate default privileges are defined for each permission level.	Security management has been simplified.
Enforce regulatory and procedural compliance.	There were no built-in features to help prevent fraud and ensure compliance.	Administrators can set up rules for segregating duties to ensure that a user does not gain access to conflicting duties.	Security is improved.
Audit and report on security settings.	Auditing was a manual task for administrators.	Audit trails and reports to evaluate security setup are built into the application.	Security management has been simplified, and security is improved.

 

 What's new in AX 2012, Flash news - 6

Product information management

Products and product variants
Products and product variants (previously called items and item dimensions) now originate at the enterprise level and are then released to the company level, where they can be further maintained. If you choose to create a product at the company level (legal entity), the system creates the product in the enterprise level and then immediately releases that product to the company where it is originated.

Product variants, on the other hand, can only be created at the enterprise level. Storage and tracking dimensions (previously part of the item dimension group) can be maintained at the enterprise level and then released to the companies for enterprise-wide consistency, or they can be maintained uniquely at the company level too.

To accommodate these changes, the size, color, and configuration dimensions in the Item dimension group definition have moved to the enterprise level and are now called Product dimension group. 

Product dimensions (previously called inventory dimensions) are now split into three distinct groups to support product definitions at the enterprise level. The three groups are:

1.       Product dimension group (color, size, and configuration)

2.       Storage dimension group (site, warehouse, location, and pallet)

3.       Tracking dimension group (batch and serial number)

Assigning dimension groups to individual products:

ü  Product dimensions get assigned to individual products at the enterprise level. If it is assigned to the product and released to the individual legal entity, the product dimension group cannot be changed.

ü  Unique storage and tracking dimensions can be set up for individual companies. These dimensions can be specified at the global level (enterprise level), or they can be specified for released products at the company level. If assigned at the enterprise level, they cannot be changed at the company level. 

 Product type

Product type (previously called Item type) is no longer used to configure a product as being either manufactured or purchased. It is now used to identify whether a product is a physical item that can be stocked, or a service item (intangible, non-stock item). Because product type no longer determines how an item is acquired, a new default order type is introduced for products at the company level (legal entity level). This default order type is used to determine replenishment needs when it cannot be determined by other means, such as through item coverage settings.  (See further definition on default order type below under separate heading)

In conjunction with the product type changes, prior limitations pertaining to purchased products are removed. Products may have formulas, BOMs, and routes even if the products are not normally produced. It is also no longer necessary to delete a formula version if a product that is usually produced is changed to purchased.

Production type

Production type replaces Product type to accommodate the change in how product type is used in Process Manufacturing Production and Logistics. Production type works functionally the same as product type in prior releases. The new production types are described below:
 

1.       Co-product ─ Activates the Planning formula field (previously called Planning item) for selecting the formula or planning item to use to initiate a planned order for the co-product when a replenishment order is needed.

2.       By-product ─ Identifies the product as a by-product item, which can contribute burden to the cost of production.

3.       Planning item ─ Identifies the group of co-products and/or by-products that will be grouped together for planning and costing purposes.

4.       BOM and Formula items ─ Indicates the type of production that will produce these types of items. In prior releases, these two settings were included in the “Item type” option, which is now called Production type.

      5.       None ─ Indicates that the product is none of the above. This setting remains the default setting. All purchased items basically have the selection of Production type - “None”

 Apply product template

A product definition no longer needs to be created for each product to be released to a company. You can now release multiple products, including product variants, to multiple companies.

Once a product is released to the legal entity, you can use the Apply template feature to copy the data values in the template to a new product or to multiple products. 

In this release, you can create templates using the Create personal template and Create shared template buttons in the Templates action pane located in the ribbon area of the Released products list page.

Default order type

The default order type now indicates whether a product is produced, purchased, or a kanban. It identifies the type of order to generate to replenish inventory when it cannot be determined by other means, such as through item coverage settings.

Production orders / Batch orders will be generated for products with a default order type of Production and a Production type of BOM / Planning item / Formula. You define the default order type at the company level in the Released products list page or the Released product details form.

Global units of measure

The unit of measure definition is moved from the company level to the enterprise level. Enhancements include grouping units by class and introducing base units for easier set up of unit conversions.

I am stopping here, as I feel, it is too much for the day !

What's new in AX 2012, Flash news - 5

What are the USPs of AX 2012 : (Again, this is my view and tried my best to be unbiased)

 

1.       Centralized customer and vendor payments.

·         Organizations that include multiple legal entities can create and manage payments by using a legal entity that handles all payments. A legal entity that is used for centralized payments saves time. The same transaction does not have to be entered in multiple legal entities, and the following processes for cross-company payments are streamlined: payment proposals, settlements, modification of open transactions, and modification of closed transactions.

2.       Multi-company planning, with minimized efforts in data entry of related intercompany transactions. (I will elaborate in a separate email, just to trigger “deep learning” on this topic)

3.       Number sequence can be done either at the global level or at the legal entity level. In AX 2009, the number sequence is only possible for the individual company.

4.       Global address book is shared across the legal entities. Hence, the addresses of customer, vendor, employee are shared. Thus redundancy/duplication of addresses have been avoided.

5.       Introduction of step consumption functionality in BOM Lines, has made the BOM maintenance easier(I will explain this in a separate email)

6.       Tighter integration and support for discrete, process & Lean Kanban – Now, all these available are out-of-the-box.

7.       Performing CTP (Capable To Promise) calculation at the order entry level. (Note - CTP is relating to Lean manufacturing and hence CTP is not possible for discrete and process manufacturing scenarios)

8.       Work flow configuration in AX 2012

·         The user interface has been improved a lot. In fact, it is appealing now, with the use of drag and drop future. You can drag and drop the conditional decisions, manual decisions and so on. (Please, See the screen shot below.)

·         Work flow can be enabled for any form in AX 2012. You can read more on how to enable the forms for work flow configuration from the link - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc602813.aspx  

 

Acronym/Vocabulary :

USP – Unique Selling Preposition

Out-of-the-box – Standard functionality

 

Note 1: To be on the safer side, I just termed this as “partial list” (in the subject line).

Note 2: I have not covered the Finance related improvements completely.

 

What's new in AX 2012 - Flash news 4

In AX 2012, it is possible to specify Delivery schedules in AX 2012 in both Purchase and Sales orders, if the order delivery involves multiple instalments with different delivery dates. When you enter the delivery schedules, the AX system does split into that many number of lines (both in PO & SO) individually with specified delivery date.

 

Path in AX 2012:

1.  Procurement and sourcing > Common > Purchase orders > All purchase orders > Purchase order – Lines view > Purchase order line button > Delivery schedule
2. Sales and marketing > Common > Sales orders > All sales orders > Sales order – Lines view > Sales order line button > Delivery schedule

 
My next post would be on the USPs of AX 2012. Please, do wait for a while !

What's new in AX 2012 - Flash news 3 (Comparison of AX 2012 with AX 2009)

Changes in terminologies: (Please, let me know, if you have questions on my interpretations. I tried my best to be easily understood, with reference of AX 2009 wherever possible)

 

What is in AX 2009?	How is it in AX2012?
Item dimension – Configuration, size & color	Product dimension – Configuration, size & color
Item type – BOM, Service, Item & Formula	Product  type – Item & Service (Defined @ global level) Product sub type – New field in AX 2012 – to define whether or not the product is configuration enabled. If the product contains at least minimum of one dimension, then it must be created with Product sub type – Product master.
There is no product subtype equivalent functionality in AX 2009	Product sub type – Product & Product master Product – Any item created @ global level without product configurations. This is unique per instance. (It does not have product dimensions – Configuration, size & color defined.) Product master – Any item created @ global level with a minimum of one product dimension defined.
All items are created independently in the Item details form for each company. If it is an intercompany item, a company item number is created and associated for each item, thus, enabling the intercompany purchase and sales. However, associating the company item is an optional setup in AX 2009.	Each item is created as Product in the All products and product master form with or without product dimensions defined. (I would say, this is equivalent to creating a record in Company item form in AX 2009.) Consequent to this change, Inventtablecompany table no longer exists in AX 2012) Products are then released to individual legal entities (i.e., companies) in AX 2012. The released products are called “items” in AX 2012 and they are available in Released products form upon release from the All products and product master form.   If the user tries to create an item directly in the Released products form (which is fairly possible), he must define the product number and product name together with item number, Item name, Search name, Item model group, Storage & tracking dimension groups and Units. So, a product is also getting created simultaneously in All products form, when an item is created in the Released product form.   Separate number sequences can be set (or maintained manually) for both products and items in the Product information management and Inventory and warehouse management modules respectively.   In AX 2012, in general, any item you create, is an intercompany item.
Inventory Model Group	Item model group
Dimension group	Divided into three groups: Product dimension – Configuration, size & color Storage dimension – Site, Warehouse, Location & Pallet ID, Tracking dimension – Batch Number, Serial number   Note: Product dimension is at the global level, while the storage & tracking dimensions are at the legal entity level.
Product type (This field is available in AX2009, only if you have installed process industries add-on, You guys can check this field availability in Bimetal instance)	Production type (This field has become part of standard AX.
Product type – Planning item, Co-product, By-product & None (Guys worked with Process add-on are familiar with this field, as it is not part of standard AX)	Production type – Formula, BOM, Planning item, Co-product, By-product & None   By default – an item will be created with the production type – None.
Locked in journal (in COA)	Do not make manual entry (I welcome this change, as there is no ambiguity now)
BOM Line type – Production	BOM Line type – Pegged supply
Separate forms for Batch orders & Production orders	Only one form for both under Production orders – But, you have distinct buttons to create the respective orders in the Action pane.
FastTabs & Action buttons were not there.	FastTabs & Action buttons are introduced, to have feeling of Microsoft Office 2010
Multi-site planning – You can perform site-specific or company specific planning.	You can perform multi-company planning together with multi-site planning.

 

Following things are new in AX 2012

 

1.       A new model called moving average has been introduced in Item model group

2.       Item group is no longer a mandatory thing for creating or saving an item in the Released product. However, the AX system shall throw an error, when you make the actual inventory transactions, if you have not specified the item group until then.

3.       You have the flexibility to have different storage and tracking dimension groups across the legal entities. It means that an item can be batch number controlled in one company and it can be released without batch number controlled in another company. (Comprehensively, this is not a new thing, as this is fairly possible in AX 2009 too.)